'Grimm' actress: 'Zombies come to Portland'

Bree Turner, who plays Rosalee on NBC’s Tuesday night drama “Grimm,” is mindful that Los Angeles has a desert climate. “I try not to waste water. I bathe the kids at the same time,” says the mother of a 4-year-old and a 7-month-old. “I’m getting them used to requiring less.” Though she has wrapped shooting on this season’s episodes, she says that living in Portland, Ore., for half the year while in production has made her more eco-conscious. “Everything is so integrated in their lifestyle in terms of mass transit and green living and sustainable food,” she notes. “The lesson from that city is to make it a part of the fabric of the city. When decisions become more difficult or time-consuming, I think it’s hard to follow through. But Portland really has it down.”

Not surprisingly, the “Grimm” set is equally eco-minded. “We’re a green production,” says Turner. “There are no water bottles on the set. If you don’t bring your canteen, you’re not drinking water. We have solar panels outside by the trailers that power the stages. NBC as a company really follows through,” she adds. “If the bottom line benefits the planet, it’s all good.”

Turner is having fun with her character’s storyline as the romance between Rosalee and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) heats up and the season heads toward its May 21 finale. “Silas and I deliver a lot of the expectations of the relationship by season’s end. The fans are really going to be pleased with what happens, but in true ‘Grimm’ style, it’s not straightforward. It’s got a twist on it,” she says, noting that “zombies come to Portland” in the penultimate episode, and the finale cliffhanger “really takes it up a notch.”

Besides Rosalee’s sweater collection, Turner loves that the character holds her own in the boys’ club. “She’s able to hang with the guys. She knows what she wants and she’s able to hold true to what she believes in. This season, this wonderful sensitivity and passion has been exposed in her,” she reflects. “That’s been really nice to explore.”